Editor’s note: Longtime Baton Rouge sportswriter, author and television host Lee Feinswog takes his unique approach to sports to dig deeper into LSU Athletics. Look for these features online and in official athletics department publications throughout the 2014-15 season.
Alabama week.
It’s something else.
From LSU winning nine of the last 15, to Saban hating, to losing in the national championship game, to nightmarish memories of Bear Bryant, LSU-Alabama takes serious college football to another level. And when Alabama comes to LSU, it can be staggering.
LSU’s Tiger Stadium seats 100,000-plus, but you can rest assured that on Saturday another 50,000 will be tailgating and most of them will stay and watch the game outside the venue. It becomes the fourth-largest city in Louisiana for the day.
“It’s the epitome of the big game,” said Sam Nader, LSU assistant athletics director for football, who has been on the football staff since 1975. “It’s special in terms of the competition and the aura that always surrounds the game. The anticipation is fantastic.”
This year, LSU, once 0-2 in the league, is 7-2, 3-2 in the Southeastern Conference and needing a perfect combination of not-so-unlikely outcomes to win the West. Alabama stands 7-1, 4-1 in the SEC, and is in a situation that if it can close out could well win its third national championship in four years.
“Well, it generally speaks to the Western Division, and the ramifications of who wins and who loses are always very significant,” LSU coach Les Miles said. “I think there’s a very good rivalry here that I think both players, both coaching staffs just look forward to competing in.”
What’s more, Alabama is coached by one of the men for whom Nader has worked, Nick Saban, who, as LSU’s coach was 4-1 against Alabama from 2000-04.
Not every LSU coach has done as well, although Albert P. Simmons capped a 3-0 season in 1895 by beating Bama 12-6 in the first meeting between the schools. They didn’t play again until 1902 (LSU won again), but really, things didn’t get serious until the Bear was at Alabama. They started playing regularly in 1964 and for Charles McClendon, that wasn’t so good.
‘Chollie Mac’ was 137-59-7 at LSU from 1962-79, but he lost his last nine games to the Crimson Tide, finishing his career 2-14 against them. Most observers think that cost the winningest coach in school history his job.
Not that things got better right away after he left.
“Alabama for the longest time was the standard for SEC football,” said Ron Higgins, the NOLA.com sportswriter whose late father, Ace, was LSU’s sports information director.
“Charlie McClendon beat him twice and forced Bear Bryant to switch to the Wishbone and change his whole program. They’re hard to beat. They’re the standard and when you beat ’em there’s this feeling that you’ve beat all this tradition.”
Jerry Stovall was 1-3 against Alabama. Bill Arnsparger was 2-0-1, Mike Archer 1-3, Curley Hallman 1-3 and Gerry DiNardo 1-4. And then Saban came to town, turned things around en route to winning the 2003 national championship.
“Since Nick went to Alabama (in 2007) it’s added an element that no one could even think of,” Higgins said. “You couldn’t get a Hollywood screen writer to think of that plot.”
Saban’s successor at LSU, successor, Miles, is 5-5 against the Tide. He beat Alabama in 2007 when LSU went on to win the BCS national championship.
What’s more, he is the only coach to beat Alabama five times in a series that eight of the last nine years has seen the winner play in either the SEC Championship Game or a BCS bowl.
But now LSU has lost three in a row in the series, including that aforementioned 2011 national-title tilt in New Orleans in the most painful defeat for LSU fans perhaps ever. What’s worse, earlier that season, LSU beat Alabama 9-6 in overtime in Tuscaloosa on its way to a perfect regular season and SEC title.
Miles on Monday opened his weekly news luncheon with the usual comments about his team, but was hardly oblivious to the fact that the Tigers play Alabama.
“Our football team seems to play biggest on the big stage,” Miles said.
Big?
The game is in prime time on CBS. The SEC Network’s SEC Nation will be on campus. The ESPN radio show SVP and Russillo will broadcast from Baton Rouge on Friday. It marks the final home game for LSU’s seniors. The weather should be perfect for football.
Big stage indeed.
Alabama came to LSU two years ago and scored late, winning 21-17. Last year, LSU lost at Alabama, 38-17.
“I think there’s an enjoyment of playing this team,” Miles said. “You enjoy competition. You enjoy playing at a very high level. You enjoy playing in Tiger Stadium, which these Tigers do. I think we’re looking forward to it, not necessarily based on what happened in the stadium two years ago, but based on the fact that there’s something very specific that can happen this year.”
What will happen, regardless, is a frenzy that has already started building up to magnanimous proportions by Saturday.
For example, Walk-On’s, the popular sports-bar restaurant near campus, has to be ready.
“It’s the game of the year again,” said Brandon Landry, one of the owners. “We expect two weeks worth of business in two days.”
Recruiting analyst Shea Dixon of the website Geaux247.com said Saturday’s game is huge for recruiting.
“I think it has a bigger impact on recruiting simply because LSU has lost a few in a row to Bama and if they get one back it sends a pretty big statement,” Dixon said. “Only because of the guys who have left the state and gone to Alabama. I don’t think it affects the larger scope as much as people might think. I agree with Les on that.”
This game is big for visits. The sidelines beforehand will be chockablock with young high school players.
“They’ll have kids who may never play for LSU or won’t end up at Bama, but will be there just to watch those two teams in that environment,” Dixon said. “But from a simple visits standpoint, it will be the biggest visits game all year.”
Derek Ponamsky of the website BayouBengalsInsider.com and local radio, also covers recruiting.
“I don’t think recruits say I’m going to go there or not because LSU beat Bama or Bama beat LSU,” Ponamsky said. “I think it’s more important to continue winning 10 games a year and continue at that elite pace. If you fall off that pace, it can catch up with you. It’s not about one game.”
Both teams had last weekend off. Time for the players to rest and heal, but more time for the fans to build anticipation for what, some how, some way, becomes the game of the season, certainly for LSU.
“It’s always special,” LSU senior center Elliott Porter said. “Alabama’s a great team and a great rival and we love to play them. Love to play them. It’s exciting. CBS and everything else. It’s going to be a good one.”
We would expect nothing less.